Robert Gillespie
Are You Going To Do That Little Jump? The Adventure Continues
Robert Gillespie starred as cartoonist Dudley Rush in five series of the ITV comedy Keep It In The Family. He's been acting, directing and writing for over 70 years. This is the second volume of autobiography which covers some of the things he's done and some of the sights he's seen.
As Gillespie says, his career took a small hit after Keep It In The Family Ended in 1983. A glance at his IMBD listing shows that before he starred in the ITV comedy, he had a solid run of supporting TV and film appearances from the 1950's. Once he'd starred in a long-running series, producers would only consider him for lead roles and it took a couple of years before he appeared as part of the cast of a forgotten Carla Lane series about an alcohol recovery unit called, I Woke Up One Morning. (1985-1986). This isn't to imply that the book ends on a downward note - but although Gillespie is proud of the show (or at least, the first four series) it is only a small part of what he's done. Nevertheless, it is interesting to read Gillespie's thoughts on how the reaction of the man-in-the-street changed, once he was known for a comedy series.
Gillespie serves as a witness to some long-gone performers. Sir Donald Wolfit, for instance, who was "never bad in anything", but always ended the show with an affected bow, gripping the side of the curtain as if exhausted. Gillespie was a member of the enthusiastic audience for Wolfit's run at the Old Vic, mystified as to why he walked out on the much anticipated King Lear, but assuminh he, "couldn't bear to share the praise," with an accomplished cast.
For Maigret (1963) Gillespie was the second lead in the odd BBC adaptation of Simenon's The Flemish Shop. He relates how Rupert Davies prepared for an interrogation scene in a hotel breakfast room, breaking up and buttering pieces of bread while throwing questions at Gillespie's character. He recalls the raised eyebrows and refusal to supply real bread to Davies during rehearsal, "a bad case of crew rudeness to a meticulous performer."
There's a sort of sequel when Gillespie recalls his guest shot as the Gasman in the Rising Damp episode The Last of the Big Spenders (1975). Like Davies, Leonard Rossiter was insistent about getting his props right, but Rossiter was also persistent enough to make sure the crew and director did what he asked. It's a bit like listening to someone describe the preparations for a magic trick. But you can at least still watch the episode to see that the trick really does work.
Robert Gillespie also spent many years as a stage director, and he recalls how actors can throw the alchemy of a production off-course by getting strange ideas in their heads. A blustering aristocrat persuaded to be more likeable by his girlfriend. Or the lead in a production of A Streetcar Named Desire who abandons the blend of tears and laughter, making Blanche 'a tragedy queen.' The interpetation didn't go down well with audiences: "To hear someone whine in self pity half the night isn't enjoyable."
To come back to the subject of this website, Robert Gillespie did act with Patrick Wymark in the BBC play They Hanged My Saintly Billy (1962) but his proudest moment was in Left-Handed Liberty. As one of the associate directors of the Mermaid Theatre, Gillespie also played one of King John's Barons. But there were several performances where Patrick Wymark had filming commitments, so Robert Gillespie was asked to cover the role of King John. And at one of those performances, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were in attendance.
You can order a signed copy of Are You Going To Do That Little Jump? - The Adventure Continues for 19.95 plus postage at